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Worst of Midwest flooding may not be over

Major river flooding this week

Many tributaries of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers are forecast to reach, surpass or remain at major flood stage over the next several days. As of late Monday afternoon, more than 150 gauges were in flood stage across the USA, almost all of them in the upper Midwest.

River flooding that is already swamping part of the Midwest could get worse Tuesday and Wednesday, as more rain and snow spreads over the region.

Areas from Oklahoma through Michigan are forecast to get an inch of rain Tuesday — and some places will see twice that — by the time the storm moves away later Tuesday night, the National Weather Service forecasts. In Minnesota, a total of 3.5 inches of snow was measured at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, while Duluth has seen 8 inches of snow, the Weather Channel reports.

The heaviest snowfall was recorded in western South Dakota, where more than a foot of snow fell, according to the Weather Channel. The snow was yet another blow for the winter-weary northern Plains, which has seen record amounts of snow and record cold temperatures this month.

The good news is that this system should be less intense and faster-moving when compared to last week's torrential rainstorms that sparked the worst of the floods, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. However, this additional rain could keep the rivers that are already at flood stage from receding as fast.

Towns along the Mississippi river are fighting back floodwaters with sandbags and tarps.
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As of Tuesday morning, more than 150 gauges were in flood stage across the USA, almost all of them in the upper Midwest, according to the weather service. This included 37 at "major" flood stage. Major flood stage means there will be "extensive inundation of structures and roads, and that significant evacuations are likely," according to the weather service.

Caused by the extremely heavy rain that fell last week, the surge of high water is slowly making its way down the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and their tributaries, according to Steve Buan, a hydrologist with the North Central River Forecast Center in Chanhassen, Minn.

He says that as of Monday afternoon, the Mississippi River is at or near its peak now from the Quad Cities of Iowa down to near Hannibal, Mo.

Spots to the south of St. Louis aren't expected to crest until later this week, and significant flooding is possible in places like Ste. Genevieve, Mo., Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Cairo, Ill.

In Grand Rapids, Mich., the worst appeared to be over Monday. The Grand River in the city's downtown crested Sunday night at 21.85 feet. It is expected to fall below the 18-foot flood stage by the end of the week, city officials said.

"None of us have ever experienced anything quite like this," Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell said Monday.

The Red River of the North, which flows to the north into Lake Winnipeg in Canada, should reach peak levels by next week, according to Buan. The Red River forms the border between North Dakota and Minnesota, and faces a flood threat each year because of melting snow and spring rains.

In Fargo, the Red River is forecast to reach major flood stage of 30 feet by this weekend, according to a weather service website that predicts river flood levels. The current river level in Fargo is about 16.5 feet, slightly up from the 15-foot level its been at for the past week.

In an online report, the weather service in Grand Forks noted that by Friday and into the weekend, "temperatures are expected to rise significantly ... resulting in significant snowmelt runoff and more rapid rises in river levels."

So far, the Midwest flooding has caused three deaths and could be responsible for two more.

Volunteers and government officials monitor the sand bag wall holding back the Illinois River on April 24 in Peoria, Ill. (Photo: Seth Perlman, AP)

Residents deal with the high water in Grafton, Ill. Rain added more water to swollen rivers that are now expected to remain high into next month. (Photo: Derik Holtmann, Belleville News-Democrat, via AP)

Mike Branchik returns to dry land using a makeshift walkway from his home as the Illinois River floods homes in Peoria Heights, Ill. Floodwaters are rising to record levels along the Illinois River in central Illinois. (Photo: Seth Perlman, AP)

Bob Patton, a Hardin, Ill., public works employee, wades through Illinois River floodwaters to close the gates to the city's sewer plant. Patton and a fellow employee were getting diesel fuel from the plant to put into pumps the city is running near the riverfront. (Photo: John Badman, The (Grafton, Ill.)Telegraph, via AP)

AmeriCorps member Cody Turner directs a hose pumping flood waters back into the Mississippi River on Monday in Clarksville, Mo. The swollen river has strained a hastily erected makeshift floodwall in Clarksville, creating trouble spots that volunteers were scrambling to patch. (Photo: Jeff Roberson, AP)

Barricades block Main Street in Grafton, Ill., near its intersection with Illinois Route 3. Floodwaters from the Mississippi River have closed the main entrance to the town forcing residents to use a back road. (Photo: John Badman, The (Grafton, Ill.)Telegraph, via AP)

Mike VanBlair opens the front door of his home in Moline, Ill., after wading through his flooded front yard. He was forced to evacuate his home Saturday after the five pumps he was using to remove water from his basement failed to keep the water out. (Photo: Paul Colletti, The Dispatch, via AP)

Sgt. First Class Nathan Jeffries of the Missouri National Guard 3175th MP Company from Warrenton, Mo., places sandbags on a trouble spot in a temporary levee in Clarksville, Mo. (Photo: Jeff Roberson, AP)

Floodwater from the Grand River crests on April 22 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes as the Grand River crested at over 21 feet -- 2.2 feet above a record set in 1985. (Photo: Emily Zoladz, The Grand Rapids Press, via AP)

Joe Biggerstaff wades away from his mother's home on Konkle Drive north of downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., on April 21. The rising Grand River has driven hundreds of people from their homes in several western Michigan communities. (Photo: Chris Clark, AP)

Volunteer Phil Rosborough checks the sump pumps around Gurnee Community Church after the building was surrounded by floodwaters from the Des Plaines River. "We are keeping the inside dry," said Rosborough. "It is all hands on deck. The downtown area of Gurnee was closed because of flooding. (Photo: Gilbert R. Boucher II, Daily Herald via AP)

A member of the Missouri National Guard looks out over the Mississippis floodwaters from a sandbag levee in Clarksville, Mo. The community, has been working since Wednesday to build a sandbag levee that seemed to be holding as the crest, expected to be 11 feet above flood stage, approaches. (Photo: Jeff Roberson, AP)

Floodwaters from the Grand River rush under the Fulton Street bridge in Grand Rapids, Mich. The U.S. 131 bridge, left, and the Fulton Street bridge have been closed because of flood waters. Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell declared a state of emergency as the flooding Grand River poured into basements of several hotels and other downtown buildings. (Photo: Cory Morse, The Grand Rapids Press, via AP)